Fruit and vegetables: common organisation of the market COM

1995/0247(CNS)
OBJECTIVE: to reform the common organization of the market in fruit and vegetables. COMMUNITY MEASURE: Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 on the common organization of the market in fruit and vegetables. SUBSTANCE: the reforms include inter alia: - a better coordination of Community supply by strengthening the role of the producer organizations as commercial operators, accompanied by greater stringency in Community criteria for their recognition and by the establishment of an operational fund with Community co-financing and intended, first, to finance actions to improve product quality, and their commercial value and, second, to increase Community withdrawal compensation, to pay compensation for market withdrawals not covered by Community withdrawal compensation, and to increase the prices obtained for products sold for processing; - for Member States that so wish, the option of drawing up a light framework for the Interbranch organizations in the industry; - a new method of administering short-term surpluses by lowering withdrawal compensation to an unrewarding level, and the option for producer groups to augment withdrawal compensation; - specific solutions, apart from the general instruments in the common organization of the market, to problems facing certain products or local or regional importance in economic terms; - stricter checks, in particular as regards proper management of the operational fund by the producer organizations, on observance of trade and health quality standards and on the proper functioning of the entry price arrangements, through close cooperation and coordination between the various competent regional and Community organizations, which should also result in a uniform and non-discriminatory implementation of the checks. DATE OF ENTRY INTO FORCE: 21 November 1996. The Regulation is applicable from 1 January 1997. �